Kutztown University softball team comes up short in NCAA Division II national title game

What a remarkable run it was for the Kutztown University softball. However, the best season in school history came up one game short of a national championship.

The Golden Bears fell to Central Oklahoma 5-2 today in Salem, Va., but only after they rallied to force extra innings.

The team, featuring Liberty graduate Brianna Knipe and Stroudsburg product Morgan Booth, will go down as one of the best in Lehigh Valley-area college softball history.

Here's the report from Kutztown Sports Information:

SALEM, Va. – Showing the heart and determination of a championship caliber team, the Kutztown University softball team fought back to send the Division II National Softball Championship game into extra innings, but eventually fell to the University of Central Oklahoma 5-2 on Monday afternoon at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex.

The Golden Bears (37-22) took a season-high 14-game winning streak into the national title game against the Bronchos (51-11). It was the first time in school history that Kutztown had competed in the championship game after advancing to the semifinals for the first time last season.

Trailing 2-1 after Central Oklahoma took the lead in the top of the seventh inning, Kutztown worked its way to give senior Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) an opportunity to keep the Golden Bears in the game. Following a walk by Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) and an infield single by Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip/Hofstra), Henninger was down to her final strike with an 0-2 count and two outs. She drilled the ball down the left field line to score Lynch from second and tie the game at 2-2.

“I came up to bat just looking to hit the ball and stay within myself,” Henninger said. “Thankfully I was able to put the ball in play and it went far enough to score a run.”

Kutztown pitcher Mary Kociencki (Columbia, NJ/Sparta ) came in and pitched through the eighth inning, but the Golden Bears were sat down in order to send the game to the ninth. With two on and one out, the Bronchos' top hitter in Kacie Edwards hit a ball deep in the gap in right center that scored two runs after a rough collision in the outfield between Jackie Hetzler (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp.) and Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) that sidelined Hetzler for the remainder of the game.

Central Oklahoma scored three runs in the ninth, but Kutztown never quit and brought the tying run to the plate on three occasions. Booth and Lynch each hit singles to put two runners on with Kutztown's 3-4-5 hitters due up. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, Central Oklahoma pitcher Kalynn Schrock tallied three of her 14 strikeouts to close out the game.

Despite the setback and disappointment of not coming home with a championship trophy, the Golden Bears closed out a remarkable and record-breaking season on Monday. The team won its first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and its second Atlantic Region Championship.

“I think our team played without pressure and that helped us win our championships,” head coach Judy Lawes said. “They showed up knowing each game was just another game, we went on to win two championships, and it was a lot of fun.”

Kutztown graduates four seniors from this year's team, each of whom was a four-year starter and has left their mark on the program. Along with Lynch and Henninger, Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) led the Golden Bears through thick and thin during their senior campaign and continued to preach to their teammates to never give up.

“We've overcome a lot of obstacles and had great adversity to get over but every time we had one, we found a way to get over it,” Knipe said. “We always have each other's backs and that is why we made it this far.”

Isgro and Knipe played in 229 games since 2010 for third all-time in Kutztown history. Lynch led the quartet with 199 career hits followed by Knipe by 197. Henninger slammed 34 home runs in her career for fourth in school history including 16 in her All-American junior season.

Lynch set a record she might wish to trade for another, as she was plunked by a KU record 19 pitches this season for 22 in her career.

“I knew when this group of seniors came in as freshmen that they could help us win some championships,” Lawes said. “It's rare to have freshman start their first year, and then stay with the program to start for four years. They've won a lot of games at Kutztown, and they've helped create the winning tradition for the program to continue to have great success in the future.”